Los Angeles-- The Daniel Pearl Foundation has announced that veteran journalist Narda Zacchino has been appointed the foundation’s new executive director.  Zacchino, a senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy at USC, has extensive leadership experience in the nonprofit community. Her appointment takes effect immediately.

Zacchino has served on the board of directors of four journalism-related nonprofits, including The Los Angeles Times Fund, the Pfaffinger Foundation, the International Women's Media Foundation, and Journalism and Women's Symposium.  She currently serves on the IWMF board of advisers and the President's advisory council of the 75-year old Carmel Bach Festival.

A highly experienced and respected journalist, Zacchino distinguished herself at both the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. During her time with the newspapers, she served as a Pulitzer Prize judge four times. She held various positions at the Times, from reporter and Sacramento bureau chief, to associate editor and vice president, a position in which she oversaw nine feature sections and daily editions in the Valley and Orange County.  She also co-founded the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  As deputy editor at the Chronicle, Zacchino led the development of several new editorial sections and the San Francisco Chronicle Press, a book imprint.